ORIGIN

Period Modified Twin-Cam 1972 Toyota Corolla

2/27/2008 Update: This car was sold for the Buy-It-Now price of $6900.

From 2/25/2008:

This ’72 Corolla looks great in period Porsche Mexico Blue with gold mag wheels and bolt-on flares. It has a hot 2L twin-cam engine built by ToySport and revs to over 8000 rpm. The body is in fairly good condition, definitely good enough for a driver. Find it here one eBay out of Franklin, Tennessee with a very reasonable reserve.

We like this coupe body style and the flares give it just the right proportions. The early chrome bumpers are very tasteful, but that oversize exhaust might be a little wild for the street. The all-black grille looks clean, and we would consider some NOS Toyota badging to add to the vintage look.

THe engine is what sets this Corolla apart. It is a 2T-G 4-cylinder with Tomoe cams and twin Mikuni 44’s. It has an external Earl’s oil cooler and is backed by a later Toyota 5-speed manual.

Te itnerior needs some finishing but currently has aftermarket bucket seats with Simpson race belts. We would try to complete the original dash with some period JDM gauges and a vintage MOMO sheel in place of this modern unit.

We like the early Toyotas because they deliver good performance at a reasonable price. This is not the car to buy if you want a survivor or show queen, but it would be great fun on track or on fast street rallies.

Comments

Had a 72 Corolla out of Washington State, that found it’s way to a used car lot in Columbus,Ohio. Pretty tired basic engine, w/4 speed. Bought a cheap 1978 SR5 liftback, and transplanted the engine and 5 speed. Was pretty quick, but helpless in wet corners with so little weight on the rear wheels, on even on a flat street for that matter.

I had two of these when I was a wee-20 something… a ’74 Corolla SR-5 Sport Coupe, and a ’71 Corolla Sport Coupe. The ’74 was completely redone with dual side draft Webers and a rebuilt 5-speed. The ’71 had a 3T-G twin cam head and dual Mikuni side draft carbs and a 5-speed. Both were a hoot to drive! Hope this one goes to a good home…